


Sounding Board

by Lisbon (curseofbunny)



Series: Owari Magica [117]
Category: Owari Magica
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:08:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25044412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/curseofbunny/pseuds/Lisbon
Summary: 5 exp to Aeron and Thea each!Aeron: 1487 words at 745 +700 = 1445ptsThea: 1295 words at 650 +600 +50 = 1300pts
Series: Owari Magica [117]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1815574





	Sounding Board

**Author's Note:**

> 5 exp to Aeron and Thea each!  
> Aeron: 1487 words at 745 +700 = 1445pts  
> Thea: 1295 words at 650 +600 +50 = 1300pts

Thea was chilling in the park, enjoying the afternoon and waiting for the itty bitties to clear out of the skate park as the sun went down. She had a bag of popcorn that she was working on and glittery eyeshadow on her eyelids, and she was trying to think about... what she needed to do now. It wasn't like Teddy or her mother wanted much to do with her, right? She hummed. And Ana was dead... She'd need to ask around and find out where the girl's grave was, or if there was a memorial in the sanctuary somewhere? She could buy some chocolate bars and leave them for her. Maybe a d20, and a dnd figurine of an archer? She hoped the girl was okay, wherever she was now. And Thea halfway wished she'd still been around, to introduce her to the others, but the dice were cast and time had moved forwards. Death didn't stop for anyone.  
Thea paused eating to roll a popcorn kernel over her tongue. That was a wave of tears she hadn't been expecting to have to will away.

Aeron had gotten a real earful from Daisy when they finally stumbled home after an impromptu nap with Ophelia. She'd been worried sick, and had nearly called in someone to go looking, before they'd eventually made it back. They can admit... it probably would have been smart to contact her, but... they weren't. Smart, that is. Among so many other failings, they guess.

They skip out of the house after a full night's rest, a shower, and ripping up their nobinary skirt's seams to make it into a flag to hang in their room. They can't stick around. Their brain is going 1000 miles a minute, they can't just sit down and pretend everything is fine. They wander past a girl in the park, and slow to a stop. She looks familiar, and... sad.

"Hey? Are you alright?"

Thea blinked in surprise, then remembered their face. "You're one of the other ones from that party the other day?" She confirmed instead of answering. It wasn't diplomatic to say 'i'm about to cry because the first maybe-friend I made in this town died on me, just like my dad'. No one wanted to hear it.

Aeron smiled, or at least tried to. Their lip twitched up.  
"Yeah. Yeah, I am. You're a magi, right?" They ask, tapping the bench next to her once before sitting down with a sigh. They pull their pendant out to rub the surface of their soul gem.  
"I'm Aeron, Aeron Geraldson. You?"

"Thea. Thea Keng." She rubbed her index finger down her choker's surface. "So... what are you up to?" She leaned into their space, nudging her shoulder against theirs. They seemed a bit stiff, but not unfriendly or anything. Just a solemn face. All the best people had straight faces, honestly.

Aeron sighed.  
"My girlfriend broke up with me after a witch battle the other day. I'm... trying to wrap my head around it. It. I..." They let out a breath, and wipe at their eyes, even if the tears didn't actually start up just yet.  
"She's... my best friend, and I know dealing with this stuff is... is hard, I know that. Making a contract without telling her was a mistake. But... I thought we could make it through this. I thought... even if our friends couldn't hold out, we could."

Thea winced. "Oh... that's a lot worse than I thought you were gonna say. Most people just lie and say they're okay." She shifted to actually lean her head on their shoulder. "Well, the good thing is that maybe she'll forgive you and be your friend again. Or date you again. Or whatever happens next, it's a maybe, but it's not out of the picture. And even if she doesn't, that's okay. You don't control the people in your life. It's not a movie script, and you can't just call cut... even when you really need time to process. What you can do, though, is work through it on your own time. And, more importantly, make more friends to make up for it?" She offered the last part. She hoped it wasn't obvious that her stream of consciousness there was practically her own mantra to herself after her own loss and consequential move.

Aeron smiled.  
"Yeah. Yeah, I know I can't control people." They laugh a little.  
"Never been good at following the... socialization script. I... would like to make friends. I... kinda made a terrible first impression, with most of... everyone." They wave vaguely in the direction of the sanctuary.  
"I feel like it wouldn't be fair not to explain things, but also... there's so much that's happened since I made my contract. And I know I'm missing several things, but... I'm dumb. I've known I'm dumb for years."

"You're not dumb, you're just missing a good sounding board. Everyone needs one of those." Thea nodded sharply. "So, let's do this. Lay it on me. What do you need to talk about?" She ignored the part where she, herself, wasn't technically great at being one because she tended to run her mouth when she didn't intend to.

Aeron huffs.  
"No, I'm also dumb. But thanks, I guess." They sigh.  
"My best friend, before Fawn and making a contract and everything, was a magi I met named Buck. He was so... nice, and cute, and I think I was a little in love with him. Like... the way you're a little in love with anyone who's nice to you? Right?" Aeron waves a hand.  
"He went missing with a magi who'd been friends with Fawn, Midge. Fawn was my girlfriend." They press their gem to their lips before starting again.  
"I made a contract in part for the chance to find Buck and Midge again, but also just because I've always wanted to have magic. I've ached for it for years, and it was finally, finally something I could have." Aeron puts their face in their hands.  
"And then I went and helped Belladona attack the Morsons, and made everyone believe I was someone who couldn't be trusted, and. And. And then I accidentally hit Vondila in the back, during that last battle with her, and probably killed her. And. I haven't even gotten to what happened with Fawn."

Thea nodded slowly. "So... you made your wish so you wouldn't be alone, and then isolated yourself, and then you blamed yourself? Does anyone else know about you hitting Vondila?" Thea blew out a breath. "I'm... I'm used to falling in love all the time. A long string of boyfriends and girlfriends shows that." She smoothed out her jacket and laughed once. "If I'm not careful- and I'm never careful- I burn through everyone I meet. Like a forest fire. It's easier to be out of control, to not worry about what the end goal is, right? Then you look back at everything and know exactly where it went wrong, but you're just surrounded by ash and firefighters and EMTS, and then you hit restart and burn it all up again. Right?"

"Ophelia saw, but otherwise... no. She thought I did it for Belladona, but... I'd just missed. I stopped working with the other medic after she and her girlfriend made Fawn cry, and... I guess that doesn't matter, either, now." They press their face into their hands again.  
"Fawn got captured just after the party at the beach. Her brother called me asking if she'd been with me, but we got into a fight just before the party ended so I'd let her walk home alone. I spent the next 3 days searching all of Seaford for her, I didn't go home until yesterday. She broke up with me right after we defeated the witch, she'd been tied up and shoved in a dress and held in a cage and I. I know it's not fair to her to be upset, but. I didn't. I didn't do anything? I don't think? Maybe? I don't know. I. I wasn't functioning, by then. My hearing was going in and out and even after Belladona healed me to full I still felt... sick. I don't know."

Thea pursed her lips. That... was a hard one. Were they in the wrong? Did they deserve to be broken up with? What was she supposed to do about the situation? She found their hand and squeezed it gently. "Hey. It's... going to be okay. Just breathe. Maybe she just needed time?" She offers. "I mean... it sounds traumatic as fuck. Maybe she needed some time to deal with her issues?"

Aeron let out a breath.  
"It was awful. The witch was huge and had a phone for a head, and screamed with the sounds of it ringing. I can't imagine being trapped underneath it for 3 days while blindfolded. I. I feel bad that I'm upset. But. But I can't stop... being, upset? Either?" Aeron wipes at their eyes, sniffling.

"Don't feel bad about being upset." Thea squished their cheeks together with her hands, turning them to look at her. "It's okay to be upset. You're allowed to be upset. She is too. It's okay to be upset separately." She nodded sharply. "Got it?"

Aeron huffed.  
"Right. That. That makes sense, actually, thank you. What about you? What were you upset about?"

Thea hummed. "Well... Okay, I was sad about Ana. The girl that died." She spat it out. "I was sad that she was gone."

"My... condolences. I only ever talked to her once." They shrug, uncomfortable. They think for a moment.  
"I... I did, show up, to the memorial, but I couldn't sit through it. It was for Mariana, Vondila, that Verlac model, and another magi I'd never met. But... I know where the graveyard is, I can show you it, later. For closure?"

"I talked to her twice." Thea sighed. "But she was the first person in town that I talked to who wasn't related to me. And it wasn't about me, but I didn't want it to be. I'm... trying not to make things about me all the time."  
She didn't mention the guilt over her wish. Teddy's suspicion.

"You're allowed to have things be about you, sometimes. Sure, not everything should be about you, but... you can be a little selfish. It's not evil to be." They pat her hand.

She offered them a smile. "Thank you. Ahhh, I don't get that often. Though," she winked exaggeratedly. "No promises I'll listen to your advice."

Aeron nudged her shoulder with their own.  
"Then I'll remind you when you need it. So... how long have you been a magi? What can you do? I'm curious."

"Not too long, since May?" She leaned back and sighed, looking up at the sky. "I haven't done too much, just a spar with one of the girls yesterday- Eva?" She glanced at their face to see if they knew her. "I've never even fought one of those witches."

"Eva is cool. Witches are... stressful. What can you do? Like, attack wise? I'm a healer." They tap the pendant hanging from their neck lightly.

She glances at their pendant again. "Oh! Healer. Healer also." Thea tapped her own. "I haven't messed with it much. I'm still getting the hang of things."

"Nice! Training healing is always better when you do it on someone else. Healing yourself doesn't help." They instruct, motioning vaguely with their hand.  
"I don't have any direct attacks anymore, I multiclassed as a Support, and don't have one anymore. But you can just hit someone with your weapon, normally. Without a move for it."

Thea nodded. "Yeah! Like, you have a little magic but it's not enough to count?" She confirmed. "Just enough to... make you want some more?"

"Yeah. Like... when you start out, you've got a poison move. Have you used it?" They ask, excited.  
"I hated using it, but... it might be more your speed."

"Poison... move?" She asked. "No, I don't think I have. Show me?"

Aeron nods, and offers her a hand.  
"Want to do a quick spar? I can't exactly use the move on you myself, but... I can walk you through how to use it?" They transform, letting their staff fall into their hands with a smile.

She transformed and took their hand, standing and pulling them up to stand with her. Her hair had been almost limp from the humidity, but the transformation bounces it back up. "Ready?"

"Yep! Show me your weapon? What kind of attack do you think you'd do?" Aeron raises their eyebrows at her, smile hovering at the edges of their mouth. They've accidentally moved right into an excited, manic mood at the idea of helping her.

Thea reached behind her, into her ponytail, and made a show of pulling the long shaft of her scythe out of it. And then she spun it for emphasis, beaming. "How's it look?"

Aeron whistled.  
"That's so cool!" They hooked the staff into their elbow, and clapped their hands.  
"Okay, now. Think about wanting to do damage, like a spell. Something to use in a fight."

Thea glanced up. And then down. And then she held her scythe in front of her, closed her eyes, and braced herself.  
(6 hp to Aeron)

Thea: 60hp Aeron: 60hp

Aeron laughed.  
"Okay, let's see... my attacks are all spells. I had to think about hurting someone to use poison. Maybe... just think about hurting me, and take a swing with your scythe. Like..." They take a swing their staff, and whiff past her shoulder. Oops. (d3 +4 to hit)  
"Well, ideally you'll hit me, but..."

Thea peeked at them before screwing her eyes shut again and focusing. Hurting them. She didn't want to, but she was eager to learn how to hurt something. She felt something welling up and sliding along the scythe's blade, then slashed it at them. When she opened her eyes, there was a viciously pink goop on her scythe, and she's cut their arm. "Huh. Did I do it right?"  
(18 to hit, 5dmg poisoned for 3 turns)

Aeron gagged a little, still uncomfortable with the feeling of sickness poison gave them.  
"That's it. Yeah, you got it. Just remember, you don't have to worry too much about fighting other magi, unless somebody new comes to town, so you only have to use it on Witches and their Familiars." They roll their staff around their hand, and make a jab at her, smirking when it lands. (d4 +4 to hit, 5dmg)

Thea: 55hp Aeron: 55hp (poisoned 2dmg 3 rounds)

Thea yelped as her scythe slipped out of her hand, wincing when it hit the ground and dissolved upon contact. She looked back up at them. "Oops."  
(3 to hit)

Aeron winced, and twirled their staff to hold it behind their back, offering Thea a hand.  
"Hey, it's okay. You can summon it again, you've got an unlimited supply of them."

Thea held her hands out and caught another scythe, taking their hand back. "So... that's one in the hole. 17 other holes, right?"

"Exactly." They squeeze it gently.  
"Want a free swing at me? I don't move much but it's the least I can offer anyway."

Thea squeezes their hand back before letting go and backing up a step, swinging at them. It was a pretty solid slice, and she lit up. "Oh!"  
(19 to hit, 5 dmg)

Aeron grunts, and then grins at her, impressed.  
"Nice! You're doing really well. I know it took me like... 5 tries to hit anyone I sparred with." They laugh a little, and twirl their staff around to bop her gently on the arm. (d4 +4 to hit, 2dmg)  
"Maybe I'm just not good at dodging, though."

Thea: 53hp Aeron: 44 (poisoned 2dmg 1 round)

Thea swung her scythe at them again. "I don't think I'm doing too bad with this?" She laughed and shrugged it off. "I hit Eva too!"  
(13 to hit, 5dmg)

Aeron's eyebrows rose, a smile tugging at the corner of their mouth.  
"Oh? Isn't she... the one with white hair? And a beauty mark on her cheek? I've only ever seen her tranform once, we caught a wandering familiar. She's a very good fighter, I'm impressed." They twirl their staff and absolutely whiff past her shoulder. (d2 +4 to hit)  
"Whoops."

Thea took the chance to focus and let poison well up and run along her scythe's blade again before she slashed at them. "She's cool! I caved first, but that's... Not hard to believe." She laughed again.  
(10 to hit, 2dmg, poisoned 1dmg 3 rounds)

Aeron hummed.  
"Everybody starts somewhere. When I started, I didn't know what it felt like to get low on health, so during my first spar I didn't tell the other person I was feeling woozy until after I'd passed out and she'd resurrected me." Aeron twirls their staff again, and taps Thea on the arm. (d14 +4 to hit, 2dmg)  
"S'how I got my scar actually, I didn't realize that I'd need to keep an eye on that. Now I'm a lot more careful, and I keep some healing items on hand just in case I need them."

Thea: 51hp Aeron: 35hp (poisoned 1dmg 3 rounds)

Thea blinked down at where she'd been tapped, then looked up at their face. "That's... cool. Atleast it was safe, and not as scary, right? Not like in battle, where it's probably much scarier and lonelier." She took a second to heal them, she felt bad hurting them too much.  
(4 hp to aeron)

Aeron hums.  
"Yeah, it could have been much worse. I... I can't imagine passing out during a battle, every time I've been in one it's either been outrageously easy or hard and exhausting." They send a wave of healing to Thea, smiling at her gently. (7 health to Thea)  
"You wanna just practice healing on me for a minute?"

Thea: 58hp Aeron: 38hp (poisoned 1dmg 2 rounds)

Thea nods excitedly. "That works!"


End file.
